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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23881012">Behind the Veil</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 14:55:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,658</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23881012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Supreme Leader Ren discovers that Hux is not what he seems -- his mother belongs to a race which mate for life and slowly perish if abandoned by the one to whom they give themselves to, accounting for Hux's celibacy and almost fearful avoidance of emotional attachment. </p><p>Ren uses the force to enter into the general's fantasies and plan the elaborate means of his seduction.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hux strode past a row of spherical cages suspended from the ceiling by gilded chains, his gaze lingering upon a serpentine creature. With a hiss, it raised its head at the sound of his footsteps, shaking its azure scales and raising its fan-like gills, resembling a lady’s fan, its maw opening to reveal three rows of sharp teeth, thin and pointed as needles.</p><p>The general kept walking, brushing away the spittle from his charcoal gray uniform, his lip curling in disgust.</p><p>An old Vazaruk-ruk slave had been sitting on a stool, watching him, and as the officer departed he took out a flute from the folds of his robe and began to play a little tune. Hux paused, turning his head, for the first time noticing the figure seated cross legged in the alcove.</p><p>“Female ZiziIaritta,” he said when their eyes met, putting down the flute, “venom, very poisonous. Do not touch your face,” and he let out a rumbling laugh as Hux carefully peeled off his gloves and stuffed them into his pocket, striding away, the irritability which he felt breaking through to the surface.</p><p>Exhibits of exotic beasts, rare flowers and other oddities were on display throughout the palace which Ren had taken possession of to formalize his ascension to the position of Supreme Leader. High ranking officers and allies of the First Order were summoned to swear loyalty and partake in the sumptuous festivities. After the speeches and formal ceremonies, Hux had seen little of Ren, and it made him suspect that the entire arrangement may not have been the knight’s idea, but rather, something which he had acquiesced to.</p><p>Indeed, Hux could not help but cringe at the melodramatic oration which he endured to watch, full of vague menaces and gloating delusions of power, knowing full well the extent to which the Order had suffered, all that it had invested in Starkiller base, and the disillusionment which had settled over those who had once placed their faith in the Order’s ambitions.</p><p>Such were the thoughts which Hux projected onto the multitude of half-drunk merrymakers, searching the crowd for familiar faces, and then turning away from them in disgust. It felt as if he alone was weighed by the financial and strategic losses, by thoughts of what was to come – that he alone had not the aptitude to be soothed by the night’s entertainments or by their leader’s strength.  </p><p>How ill-suited Ren was to navigate the political nuances which his role required, thought Hux, while an inner-voice whispered if he himself was not guilty of the same foibles. It was true, the general was hiding. Pacing, watching, waiting impatiently for the evening to end.</p><p>He knew that his failures would not go unremarked, he had seen – as was perhaps intended – the way in which he was perceived; in their looks, in the thinly-veiled remarks of contempt, the lack of discipline in obeying his orders – and worst of all, a certain holofilm which was making its way through the lower ranks, a crude and obscene depiction of himself being defiled by the Supreme Leader. Hux wondered if Ren knew of it, if he would put a stop to these and other blatant acts of insubordination, of contempt of authority, but he could not bring himself to ask – afraid that it would remove the remnants of his hope that he might still recover from all that had happened.</p><p>Hux could imagine Ren looking down at him with an expression of derision hidden behind his mask, dismissing him – telling the general not to waste his time. Such was the last meeting he had with the Supreme Leader. Their recurring status updates were postponed, postponed again, and then cancelled. It seemed that there was little time for him, little need for him.  And then came the final below to the man’s already withering ambitions.</p><p>That evening, Pryde had decided that there was little point in waiting for the formal announcement of what was essentially a demotion for that pathetic excuse of a general, mentioning his new role amid casual banter amongst a group of old Imperials.  For an instant, Hux felt the other’s eyes on him, as if to confirm that Pryde had been aware of his presence the entire time. It was true, Hux had remained within ear-shot to see if there was any substance to the circulating rumors, clutching his wine glass as he stumbled out of the way of a droid carrying a tray of canapés, zooming past him at top speed.</p><p>He felt like a fool.</p><p>All around him he heard the intermingled voices, accosting him like the incessant buzzing of bogflies. He could feel impotent fury well up inside of him, he wanted to leave, but could not.</p><p>A paranoia of a kind convinced him that inquiring gazes were being cast in his direction, watching what he would do – they wanted to see him flee, to cower like the defeated creature that he was. He had to stay, compelled by spite, he took a sip from the neglected glass in his trembling hand, smiling bitterly as he swallowed down the drink. The burning sensation down his throat soothed him momentarily, distracting him from the thought that he could have killed Ren – if he had not hesitated.</p><p>Hux wondered if such a chance would ever come again – or if he had let his moment slip through his fingertips.  Notions of fate and destiny played within his mind, feeling hollow.</p><p>He stepped out onto the balcony. He needed some air, promising himself that he would return. He had to pull himself together. It was not the place to succumb to self-doubt.</p><p>The cold night air felt refreshing against his skin and from a distance he heard the sound of music. He turned to see a heavy curtain being lifted to reveal a towering machine, a thousand intricate parts moving in harmony to create the impression of an orchestra.</p><p>Hux wandered back into the main hall, he, like the other guests, were being lulled by the music, drawn closer to the platform by a sense of awe.</p><p>None had ever heard such a sound, no ordinary art form could have elicited a visceral response of what could only be described as pure euphoria –carnal and all-consuming, irresistible.</p><p>With dilated pupils the multitude gazed entranced into the focal point of the machine. The music, it was intoxicating.</p><p>It was perfect.</p><p>Hux was close enough to examine the automaton, his eyes tracing over the bone-like limbs as they moved with agility, the engineer in him becoming captivated in the details, his admiration intermingling with a happiness unlike anything which he had ever experienced.</p><p>At the center of the machine was a small green stone bearing the maker’s mark. Of course, of course, Hux whispered half-audibly – it was the work of the great Saulivak.</p><p>All around him he heard the name echoing hypnotically amid the music, Saulivak, and then, another name.</p><p>“Ren…Ren,” Hux heard himself say, the words tasting sweet upon his lips. His worries, his anxieties – they appeared insignificant. Everything was insignificant except for the warmth which seemed to soothe him from within.   </p><p>A man with a white beard and a dark green robe clutched at his heart and chanted hoarsely ‘Supreme Leader, Supreme Leader Ren’ as he lowered himself with effort upon his knees, his eyes watering with tears.</p><p>Hux fought against the desire which seemed to grip the audience as they clambered over each other to get closer to the machine, which with inexplicable reverence they associated with Ren and the renowned master craftsman – like the powerful relic of a deity. The urge to worship, to touch it, to kiss it was enough to make Hux faint and delirious, and at the same time, sickened with himself.</p><p>A stormtrooper shoved him aside roughly while someone pushed with full force against his back, all regard for rank, order and decorum making way to the gripping sensation to get closer – in the distance he heard blaster shots, someone screaming. Hux felt a suffocating feeling as the mass of people was closing in around him, urging him forward, urging the general to reach out towards <em>Him. </em></p><p>A sharp sting passed through him as his fingertips touched the pulsating shield surrounding the automaton, its shimmering outline becoming visible at every contact – he was not alone, others, countless others were making similar attempts to break through it.</p><p>And yet, even amid the chaos, Hux felt his worries subside, his anxieties melt away – they appeared insignificant. He had faith, absolute faith in the Supreme Leader. He would protect him. He would save him. Everything was insignificant except for the warmth which seemed to soothe him from within.  He loved Ren. He would die for Ren. He would destroy anyone who stood in his way.</p><p> “Enough!” a voice was heard over the deranged throng, loud and commanding.</p><p>As suddenly as the music had gathered its crowd, so it dispersed it, for as the melody changed, each man and woman felt a tremor within themselves. A horrible convulsion, as if something vulnerable in the pit of their stomach was being torn in half – every fear, every longing laid bare before a cruel and malignant force which sunk its teeth into them without mercy.  Hux’s eyes watered from pain as he doubled over on the floor, shutting them against the sight of others all around him writhing like the damned – hands tearing at their hair, clawing at their robes in a mass epileptic fit, trying to crawl away with every fiber of their being.</p><p>There had been but one time when Armitage had felt such pain. He had been foolish then, little more than a youth, and if his mother had not been alive then he did not know whether he would have survived it. But that was long ago, so long ago in fact that it shamed him to think that he was ever susceptible to such naivety and weakness.</p><p>A dull hum reverberated through the cathedral-like hall. Slowly, people gathered themselves off the ground, united by a feeling of fear and embarrassment as they stared at the automaton in expectation, uncertain if it was truly over.</p><p>Then, they heard someone clapping. Heads turned, looking for the source of the sound, tracing it to somewhere above them.</p><p>“I hope that you have enjoyed the performance,” a familiar voice reached through the stillness. Ren stood on a balcony overlooking the stage as curtains slowly closed over the machine.</p><p> “It is but an experiment of what is possible through a master’s control of the force,” Ren went on, descending the staircase and passing through the congregation, which parted for him as he made his way through the hall.</p><p>A strange impulse caught hold of Hux, and like a delayed echo, he too clapped, rising tentatively to his feet, the sound he made resounding clearly amid the hush. In that moment, Hux did not know if it was an act of loyalty or insolence, but it pleased him to draw the Supreme Leader’s attention – to signal to him that he was not afraid.</p><p>“Thank you, general,” Ren replied, his tone cold and inscrutable. “Please, resume with the evening’s entertainment”</p><p>Guards closed the heavy doors behind the Supreme Leader and a Twi’lek woman began to run her slender hands along a stringed instrument, producing a soft ambient melody where once the Saulivak automaton had stood – its absence making some wonder if it had all been some kind of mirage, a spice-induced vision.</p><p>To Hux, the statement was clear: they were all Ren’s puppets, whether they loved or feared – it did not matter, so long as they bowed to his power.</p><p>The general lingered by the stage, watching the woman’s hands move deftly along the silver strings of the thin elongated instrument, and at the same time, he did not see them, he did not see her – looking through, trying to remember what had been there only moments earlier.</p><p>“An illusion,” a voice seemed to speak from somewhere within him – only it was not the voice of his conscience, it was Ren’s.</p><p>He repeated the words under his breath, his mind going from question to question ‘what is it that you mean? What do you want form me? What did <em>it </em>do to me? To them?’. He received no answer which satisfied him.</p><p>“My illusion, in Saulivak’s shell”</p><p>“Should I be impressed by illusions?”  Hux retorted, goaded by Ren’s arrogance.  A mother pulled away a small boy who had been sucking on a string of crystal baubles, staring at the general, who realized then that he had spoken the words out loud.  He too drew away from the platform, walking briskly and purposefully, seeking a place where he could be alone.</p><p>The man had wanted to give them all a taste of his power, to prove himself, to make them fear and respect him. Only there was something in the means which he used that made Ren all the more laughable, thought Hux, hoping that they had an audience. Yes – like a child he yearned for attention, for approval. He understood little about the ways of men, instead he chose to flaunt his secret weapons and put on a show – or was the Supreme Leader hoping to appear strong when he was at his weakest. In either case –</p><p>“It is you who know little of the ways of men, general. Perhaps tonight you shall learn,” the voice interjected, and Hux could not keep himself from smirking.</p><p>“What is that supposed to mean?” he scoffed, picking up a sweet from the tray of a passing droid and stuffing it irreverently in his mouth, biting down on something hard and crispy, encasing  a cloying syrup which stuck unpleasantly to his teeth.</p><p>He heard laughter in his head that was not his own. Hux did not wish to admit that his efforts to appear unimpressed had faltered somewhat. A part of him could not help but feel on edge for the rest of the evening; he knew something was coming, something intended for him – and that it could not be good.</p><p>At last it came.</p><p>Hux was startled by a beep, turning sharply from where he leaned against the balcony banister, looking out at the cityscape below, lost in brooding thoughts.</p><p>“What is it?” he addressed the droid, smoothing his uniform and remembering the acid burns on his tunic.</p><p>More beeps followed, instructing him to follow.</p><p>“On whose authority do you give me orders?”</p><p>The droid did not answer, but it did not need to – Hux knew all too well.</p><p>“Fine,” he muttered, a part of him almost relived. There was nothing that unnerved him as much as waiting for the unknown.</p><p>He followed behind, at times having to accelerate his footsteps to an undignified pace to keep up with the droid. They swept through winding corridors, giving Hux an impression of the vastness of the palace, like a labyrinthine hive or Lylek nest. The general was uncertain if he would be able to get back out on his own, but he decided not to think about that then, focused on retaining his nerves for whatever mind-game Ren wished to play with him.</p><p>At last they came to a halt before a heavy door engraved with winding designs, traced into some kind of organic material, for it seemed to breathe and recoil when the droid’s robotic arm touched it, stroking the leathery material like the skin of some strange beast. The door huffed and snorted but at last yielded passage into a dimly lit room.</p><p>The beeps behind him indicated that Hux was to enter alone.</p><p>Before he had time to reply, the door shut behind him. At once his gaze was made to focus on the only source of light in the otherwise cavernous room; a large screen behind which was silhouetted a human figure seated in a cross-legged position. It wore an ornate headdress over which were draped two long strips of fabric that fell past its shoulders. Incense or perfume lingered in the air, an ambiance which served to further baffle the general as to the purpose of his presence in such a chamber. Naturally he wondered if it was some mistake.</p><p>“Greetings General Hux, please – take a seat,” said the voice behind the screen, soft and yet metallic, as if the figure was speaking through some kind of device. From somewhere in the shadows of the room, two armored guards stepped forth carrying a large cushion which they placed before the screen. As the general’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could discern that the perimeter of the fairly spacious chamber was lined with armed men. He swallowed hard, realizing that leaving was not an option.</p><p>“Ren – is that you?” he ventured to say, but received no reply.</p><p>Hux awkwardly lowered himself onto the cushion, shifting his legs uncomfortably as he waited for something like an explanation.</p><p>“T-to whom do I owe the honor of this…invitation?” he tried again.</p><p>“I am Prince Aruk,” the silhouette moved closer to the screen. “I have seen you general, I have followed your rise and fall”</p><p>Hux strained his memory to recall if he had ever encountered, or even heard of such a prince.</p><p>“I am flattered to have been…worthy of your interest,” Hux replied, clearing his throat, uncertain of where things were going.</p><p>“Do you believe yourself no longer worthy?” said the voice with a silvery tone of amusement.</p><p>“I-I cannot presume to say, to judge one’s own merits and foibles through the eyes of a stranger, your illustriousness, is not something that I can –“</p><p>“That is not what I asked. I do not wish you to see through <em>my</em> eyes – but merely, through your own,” the voice resumed. “Are you a <em>failure</em>, general?”</p><p>Hux paused, his brow furrowing with incredulity at the brazen question, to which he struggled to find an appropriately cautious answer.</p><p>“I cannot foresee the future, I understand that I have fallen into disfavor and yet there may still be opportunities which lie on my path to make amends for past disappointments,” Hux hoped that his answer was tactful enough.</p><p>“Opportunities which you are too cowardly to grasp at, surely,” the voice replied.</p><p>“I-I –“</p><p>“It is alright, you need not answer,” the prince raised his hand as if to silence the half-constructed response on Hux’s lips, “I have not summoned you here to berate you, but rather, to offer you my sympathy. You are a capable man and it is unfortunate to see your life’s work come to nothing. Tell me, what is your opinion of the current regime?”</p><p>“It is not my place to speak of the Supreme Leader,” Hux did not hesitate to answer, it seemed too obvious a trap, even for Ren.</p><p>“You will not speak your mind openly, but your frustration is no less apparent,” he heard a musical laugh from behind the screen.</p><p>“The Supreme Leader has only recently come to power. It is too soon for anyone to be certain of the direction in which he shall take the forces of the First Order,” Hux found himself defending the man.</p><p>“I see,” the prince said dismissively, growing tired of Hux’s avoidant responses, “there is more than one kind of frustration, of course,” he continued, reaching his hand and tracing it along the diaphanous fabric of the screen between them.</p><p>“W-what do you mean, your eminence?” Hux looked on in discomfort.</p><p>“Oh I think you know general,” again he laughed. “The Supreme Leader has told me that you have had few ties of sentiment in your life, and wonders at this”</p><p>“Those are not matters which should concern his lordship,” said Hux, wondering if the prince was toying with him – it was preposterous to think that Ren would interest himself in his private life, he thought to himself. It was all some kind of ruse to humiliate him, and he would have none of it.</p><p>“It is not your place to speak of the Supreme Leader, is that not what you had said?” the prince drew his hand away from the screen.</p><p>“Indeed, you are quite right,” said Hux, abashed. He reminded himself to tread carefully, despite his annoyance. A part of him wanted to pull down the screen and see who it was that hid behind it, taunting him with impunity – but then he thought of the guards.</p><p>No – he would have to play along. He bit his lip, considering how much longer his patience would endure.</p><p>“Are you upset with me, Armitage?” the prince murmured, as if perceiving the tension in the room.</p><p>“I am fine, your highness,” Hux willed himself to say, perturbed to be addressed familiarly by a shadow.</p><p>“You are lying to me, that is something I do not usually tolerate – but it seems that we are both making exceptions tonight,” he concluded, slowly picking up an instrument from a tray beside him and extinguishing the solitary light which had illuminated the room, casting it into total darkness.</p><p>“Excuse me, your highness, but what is the purpose of our…our encounter,” Hux was unsure what to think, looking about him as if expecting something to pounce on him, for the guards to bear down upon him with their spears or their blasters.  But the room remained uncomfortably still.</p><p>He could hear the rustling of robes and the parting of the screen, then, the faint sound of feet against the matted floor, coming closer and closer.</p><p>Hux staggered backwards clumsily as he felt a long sleeve brush against his hand, a musky ambrosial perfume filling up his lungs with its scent as the prince drew near. The drapery of his discarded robe and headdress had served to hide the broad shoulders and formidable arms which gripped Hux’s wrists. The prince, despite his soft ethereal voice, was not the nubile waif which the general had imagined as he struggled beneath the weight of the other man upon him.</p><p>“Please – this – forgive me but --,” Hux continued to struggle, unprepared for such advances. Even if he succeeded to get away from the prince, surely he would not get far. He could hardly acknowledge what was happening as the man’s hands were roughly pulling aside the collar of his uniform, fumbling to remove his tunic.</p><p>“Give into your passions general, such an opportunity will not come again,” he felt hot breath against his ear, causing him to recoil.</p><p>“This is clearly a misunderstanding,” Hux asserted, twisting out of the man’s grasp the moment it was loosened, but again the prince snatched him by the leg and dragged him back into his arms.</p><p>“Do you dare reject the honor which has been granted you – insignificant wretch,” a note of anger was perceptible in the other’s voice.</p><p>“This is demeaning to your station,” said Hux, hoping to remind the prince of his royal blood. “The bastard son of a kitchen maid is not a worthy concubine for your eminence”</p><p>“That is for <em>me</em> to decide,” answered the prince, unmoved. “My intentions are to make you more than a mere concubine. But first, you must yield to my will, you must learn to swallow your pride. I must break you general, destroy what is left of your cold and methodical veneer and expose the vulnerable creature which cowers beneath it. I desire your humanity Armitage, I will feed upon your pain, your hatred for me, and grow stronger through it – through you,” the strange revelry into which the prince was plunged unnerved Hux, diverting him from his efforts of fighting off his attacker. “But that is not enough!”</p><p>“I-I do not understand,” spoke Hux, hoping to distract him.</p><p>“You will. I promise you,” the prince said as if uttering a threat. Then, something seemed to relax in him, as though he were struck by a pang of remorse, only its direction served to further discompose the general as he felt a hand caress his cheek, “why do you fight against this, it will not harm you”</p><p>“You speak of humanity and yet you have chosen poorly,” Hux grasped at what might be another chance of escape, or else, of sealing his forlorn fate if the prince should choose to dispose of him there and then at the untimely revelation.  </p><p>“What do you mean, my consort?” in the darkness he could almost feel the other’s focus narrow upon him.</p><p>“I am a being of a kind which would suffer greatly if it should mate with one that would later cast it aside,” said Hux, trying to appeal to what sentimentality there was in the other, “even my human half will not suffice to protect me from the disease-like consumption which follows. Your highness, you know full well that a frigid creature such as myself cannot fully satisfy your passions as you would desire, and if your intentions are honorable – then you would spare me and yourself this pain,” Hux put as much eloquence as he could into his speech under the strained circumstances, waiting tensely as the other considered his words.</p><p>“Ah but that is why I have granted you my favor,” crooned the prince, “your mother was a pureblood Arkansian, a rare being to have survived into adulthood in this cruel and war-torn age. It is little wonder that so few of your race endure – unable to resist the allure of sentimental attachment, the embodiment of hopeless idealization.  But you, Armitage – you are no clinging needy child, you have buried him deep, hiding him for all these years – but you cannot hide from me. I will draw him out. I see through you, beyond even what you can perceive when you search the recesses of your conscience. I reach into your soul and grasp your suffocating heart”</p><p>Hux was unmoved by these vehement metaphors, whether they were intended to frighten or soothe him he did not care – all that he knew was that this prince did not know what it meant to be one of his kind – Hux would resist him, even if he possessed his body, the man would not cast him into the wretchedness of poisonous longing . There was no temptation there; that he would love or desire such a monster was impossible – he was safe from him, from slowly withering away from within.</p><p>The general lay still as the prince’s hand caressed him through the fabric of his uniform, eliciting little response except for the uneasy breathing which Hux could not suppress from leaving his lips. It was only his body, not his mind, nor his soul which responded, he assured himself.</p><p>“How long has it been since you felt the touch of love, Armitage?” asked the prince, running his hands along the general’s thighs.</p><p>Hux’s jaw clenched as he fought back the words that were on his lips.</p><p>“Do I disgust you? Does…this disgust you?” Hux heard something clicking as the prince removed the mask upon his mouth which had obscured his voice before leaning down to kiss Hux with a slow and sultry movement which had something of affectation in it.</p><p>The general bit down, knowing that he would regret the decision but being unable to suppress the urge of so much pent up loathing. The prince recoiled, wiping away the blood with his arm and staggering backwards, his hand accidently pressing down upon the illuminating device which he had knocked over during his amorous advances upon Hux.</p><p>“Ren!” Hux gaped, aghast at what he saw, the dim light casting the man’s unmistakable features into view.</p><p>The Supreme Leader seemed unprepared to make such revelations and Hux took the opportunity of the other’s shame and distress to take in his appearance, as if half-suspecting that it was some kind of trick of the eye – the dark disheveled hair, the paleness of his skin and the blood which trickled from his bruised lip would forever be engraved upon Hux’s memory.</p><p>“Have you lost your mind?” said general, too stunned to get up.</p><p>“Do not speak of what you do not understand,” Ren answered, although his voice lacked the confidence of his assertion.</p><p>“Certainly, I am at a loss – completely at a loss as to what you hoped to achieve here,” Hux vented his anger, seeing Ren almost cower beneath his words.</p><p>“I wanted you for my consort, I believe that I have made that clear,” spoke the Supreme Leader, beginning to regain some of his composure in response to Hux’s contemptuous address.</p><p>“Me Ren? ME?” the general’s features contorted into an expression of incredulity.</p><p>“Yes,” said the dark-haired man, “I can be certain of your loyalty. Your species is born for this purpose – for the realization of an ideal love, a love which you live and die for. You have denied your true nature for far too long Hux”</p><p>“How did you learn of what I was?” said Hux, disconcerted by what he foresaw.</p><p>“I have studied your records while wondering what to do with you, whether to dispose of one who seemed to have outlived his usefulness,” said Ren, with little regard for the effect of such unabashed honesty. “When I discovered your lineage I realized the wrong which your father had done, to have squandered the gift that fate had given him. He had killed your mother, by his lies and his indifference, do you understand that? Do you recall how she had suffered? Did you watch her perish?” Ren asked, curious to learn more of the symptoms which he may one day discern in Hux.</p><p>Hux was disgusted by the way in which Ren described it, as if he were already a creature in his possession, with no other purpose than to please him or fulfill whatever twisted fantasies his inflated ego had conjured. It disgusted him, and yet, Hux did not know what he ought to do – to renounce him, to insult him, these things would be satisfying but short lived pleasures, useless and impulsive.  No, he was no fool.</p><p>“You see me as a conquest, an experiment –“ Hux rose unsteadily to his feet, glowering at Ren.</p><p>“No Hux, you are mistaken,” Ren offered him his hand but Hux ignored it. “I know what is necessary for the bond to form, it is not something that may be taken by force”</p><p>“Then why did you attempt this charade?” Hux continued to glare at him, something inside of him feeling threatened by this new attack against his strength of will, although he could hardly imagine any means by which Ren would reach his end.</p><p>“I wanted to test the strength of your ability to resist temptation”</p><p>“Temptation?” Hux laughed mirthlessly, “if this was meant for <em>my</em> pleasure, then you know very little about the means by which to tempt me”</p><p>Kylo smiled back, amused.</p><p>“In the rare solitary moments when you succumb to desire, your fantasies are of this nature,” he replied, “I confess it perplexes me, that you should appear to want that which you in truth abhor”</p><p>“There are different truths for different occasions,” Hux retorted, his cheeks burning with embarrassment – the certainty in Ren’s voice left little doubt in his mind that what the man was saying came from something more than presumption – his private thoughts violated by the esoteric powers of the force.</p><p>“Clearly,” said Ren, again he smiled, pleased to see Hux flustered beneath his gaze. “But do not worry general, we shall find other means to satisfy you. I am prepared for this conquest or experiment, as you have termed it”</p><p>“And if you should conquer me, what will you do then – watch me slowly die?” Hux tried to smile back in disdain, but something inside of him was touched by a pang of fear, that by deception and manipulation, by his own weakness, Ren would somehow succeed in making him yield to sincere attachment – a helplessness which he had protected himself against all his life, wondering if that would make him less susceptible to advances, or more so.</p><p>“I will give you what you deserve,” Ren replied, reaching out to place his hand upon Hux’s shoulder, which the other man pushed away.</p><p>“No Ren, you waste your time,” said Hux coldly, “we are both too old to be taken in by sentimental dreams. There is a reason why the weakness of my race has fallen into near extinction. Rightly so.”</p><p>“You are cruel to yourself, I feel that you are afraid,” said Ren, moving closer to him.  “But I will not let the pain take you when you become dependent upon me, I will tend to you beyond the period of courtship when you shall be most weak and imperiled –“</p><p>“Do not touch me,” Hux met his gaze unwaveringly</p><p>“You have built strong walls around yourself, but I can take my time with you – and I will not stop until you are mine,” Ren brushed a stray lock of hair from Hux’s brow. The general stood still, his skin burning, unfurling the fingers which he clenched into fists.</p><p>“You are despicable, pathetic,” Hux whispered close to Ren’s ear, a smirk across his face. “Be careful that you do not fall into the trap of your own vulnerability, while searching for mine. I have much experience in self-denial, in restraint – in patience. But you, you will continue to suffer, unable to conquer your emotions. All that you have is anger, and it will do you little good. You can only destroy, but you cannot possess – not me Ren, you can only kill me”</p><p>For an instant, Hux felt an invisible hand tighten around his neck, constricting his breath, and even as he fought against it, the fear of it, he felt a sickly pleasure move through him at the realization of his newfound power – the means by which he would exert his influence upon a lost, desperate child, full of passionate wrath and desperation, full of naivety – to think that a man such as Hux retained anything but the vestiges of his race. Like the memory of his mother, the strange lore of love and courtship was as foreign to him as the vacuous notions of fairytales.</p><p>If such things existed, they could not live in the harsh climates of the First Order, they would have no choice but to wither away beneath the hand of Ren.</p><p>The force released him and Hux found his vision returning, he was alone in the room. On the floor lay something silver, glistening in the light. Hux stooped and picked it up, examining what seemed to be a small cylindrical pendant suspended on a chain – he opened its lid, removing from within a miniature tablet inscribed with a series of numbers in black ink: <em> 11824717. </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hux pulled himself to his feet, looking down at his uniform and adjusting his collar, seeing that the fabric had been torn in the fray with his all too elusive prince.</p><p> If it were not for these signs he would have questioned the reality of what had taken place – yet the toppled screen and the intoxicating scent of sandalwood and musk still lingered in the air like the smoke of an extinguished candle. Too shocked to think clearly, the general’s mind at once fixed upon the sound of a familiar melody, the simple almost childish tune of a flute which was heard through the door of the dark chamber. He walked towards it, his hand upon his blaster.</p><p>Carefully, he pushed the door open, seeing through the crack of light the figure of the slave whom he remembered as the keeper of the menagerie, the same twinkle in his laughing eyes as before.</p><p>“I take you back,” he pronounced in his heavily accented Basic.</p><p>Hux stepped out into the hall and with a reluctance allowed the creature to lead him, gazing absently at its flapping ears and cotton-like tufts of hair along the mound of its bald scalp. The general was thinking of Ren, of the meaning of the mad notions which had compelled the Supreme Leader to hunt him – and how he might escape with his life.</p><p>It was late in the night and few guests remained in the main hall of the palace, Hux wondered how many had made their departure shortly after the spectacle of the automaton, and who, like himself, had no choice but to stay. He imagined that he saw something more than ordinary fatigue in the gaunt appearance of Allegiant General Pryde as sat alone at a table, holding a glass which he seemed to have forgotten.</p><p>For a moment, a strange impulse made Hux want to approach him, to speak to him – but when the man looked at him, noticing his footsteps, the general faltered in the conviction that they were united by a common antipathy.</p><p>Pryde smiled at him and something in the smile further disconcerted the younger man.</p><p>He noticed a bruise upon his neck surrounding a circular puncture wound and his eyes darted at once to his wrists, one of which Pryde raised to display.</p><p>“Yes, general,” the sardonic expression on his dark countenance deepened, “but I see that you were spared the more severe forms of interrogation.  You must have earned his trust—or else, his indifference now that you have shown yourself unworthy of your position. Those who rise quickly through the ranks, undeservingly, shall find their place soon enough”</p><p>“<em>Indifference</em> – how I would have preferred that,” said Hux, finding confidence from the resentment which permeated Pryde’s voice.</p><p>A droid brought the general his coat, which he slipped on to hide the disarray of his uniform.</p><p>“Ah yes, I suppose you are still a source of amusement to him,” Pryde smirked, testing him. “A plaything”</p><p>He rose from his chair, his feet unsteady.</p><p>“Goodnight, sir,” said Hux, turning away as he signaled to the droid to prepare a ship for his departure.</p><p>“Wait – I will go with you,” coughed the Allegiant General, his icy tone daring Hux to disagree.</p><p>The flight back was filled with an uncomfortable tension as Hux looked between the seemingly unconscious man beside him and the viewport. He felt exhausted and wanted nothing more than to collapse in his bed.</p><p>As the ship descended, Hux looked back at the other man, debating whether to leave him there or to wake him – at last deciding to leave the latter to the pilot droid.</p><p>“Hux –“ he heard a rasping voice call after him as he turned his back and was about to descend.</p><p>“Yes, Allegiant General,” the younger man replied coolly, finding that even to speak the other’s title stirred his bitterness.</p><p>He watched as Pryde raised himself from his seat, moving towards him in staggering steps and then making a sudden lunge that nearly toppled them both down the set of steps descending from the ship’s doorway.</p><p>“Be careful,” said Pryde, holding onto the lapel of Hux’s coat with one hand and to the railing with the other. “Do you understand?”</p><p>Hux did not answer. He helped the other man down the steps, observing a trickle of blood that dripped down from Pryde’s sleeve.</p><p>“You should go to medbay,” muttered the general, not knowing what was wrong with him.</p><p>Pryde looked at him again, his eyes piercing and deranged, his lips curling hideously. Hux let go of his arm and strode to towards the exit of the docking bay.</p><p>“Goodnight, Armitage,” he heard the man’s voice shout out behind him. Twice in the same night someone had called him by his first name and each time it sent a shiver down his spine – a warning, an insult.</p><p>Despite his efforts, he could not help but feel shaken by the circumstances which were bearing down on him.</p><p>Hux locked the door to his quarters, stripping off the uniform and going to the refresher. He felt tired but his mind was too troubled to allow for sleep, he knew, hoping that a shower would help him wash away some of what had happened – bringing the feeling of being clean again.</p><p>Drying off his hair with a towel and changing into his sleeping clothes, Hux observed for the first time that there was something on his pillow – what looked like a small black box.</p><p>He swallowed, feeling like he had enough for one night. Apparently not.</p><p>Kneeling beside the bed, he looked at it carefully – a perfect cube about the size of his hand, with thin needle-like protuberances in rows of eight by eight. It took him a few minutes to make the connection. A code – a password.</p><p>Hux pressed a button on his comm.</p><p>“Yes, general,” a voice answered.</p><p>“I-I would like to know when the last incineration was for waste disposal”</p><p>“For your sector of the ship, sir?”</p><p>“Yes,” Hux swallowed.</p><p>“Four hours ago”</p><p>Hux felt a wave of relief.</p><p>“Good – very good,” he sighed. “And when is the next incineration scheduled?”</p><p>“In 12 seconds sir”</p><p>“Delay it at once!”</p><p>“Y-yes general,” the waste management droid on the other side of the comm exchanged a look with its associate as they processed the unusual request.</p><p>“I would like to retrieve an item sent to disposal from my quarters less than forty minutes ago – a uniform”</p><p>“We will have a team search for it and send it to your quarters – as soon as possible sir?”</p><p>“Yes, as soon as possible,” Hux set down the communicator, sitting down on the floor with his face in his hands.</p><p>He cursed under his breath, looking again at the box on the bed, debating whether to risk moving it or to summon a team of specialists to analyze it first. It was from Ren, he was certain of that. Ren’s plan was not to kill him – not yet at least.</p><p>On this tenuous logic, his weary conscience felt enough safety and resignation to pick it up, examining it for any kind of mark or inscription, and then setting it down on the nightstand.  He could not deny that he was intrigued, and was at the same time afraid of acting rashly, foolishly. He did not trust himself to make a decision. Hux closed his eyes tightly, feeling trapped.</p><p>Just as he was about to set it down upon his nightstand, Hux heard a loud buzz that gave him a jolt of adrenaline.</p><p>It was the door, just the door.</p><p>He opened it to see a droid carrying his discarded uniform, crumpled, torn and stained with caff. The machine’s black glossy ‘eye’ watched him as he fumbled inside the pockets until a small silver object fell on the floor, rolling until it came to a stop against Hux’s foot.</p><p>With a frantic movement he stooped to pick it up.</p><p>“You may leave,” said the general curtly, venting some of his annoyance on the droid.</p><p>“Yes sir,” the machine’s wheels were heard down the hall before the door of Hux’s quarters slid shut with a dull hiss.</p><p>“In the morning,” the man muttered to himself, placing both the cube and its presumed passcode into a small vault within the wall of his room.</p><p>…</p><p>Hux felt no better rested when the morning cycle came as he climbed out of bed to the shrill ringing alerting him that he was unprecedentedly late for a shift.</p><p>The general scrambled to put on his clothes and then realized that it would not do. He needed time to deal with the ‘situation’ properly.</p><p>“Clear my schedule for the next two hours,” said as he Hux smoothed down his hair, looking at the sallow color of his skin and sleepless eyes in the refresher mirror.</p><p>He heard two beeps of confirmation. </p><p>“Input – classified, level – 3,” he added.</p><p>Two more beeps.</p><p>Hux sighed, taking the cube and silver trinket out of the vault and carefully placing them into a container, taking a final look around the room before heading to the elevators.</p><p>…</p><p>“General, your presence is requested in lab RI74,” said a voice through Hux’s comm.</p><p> “Very good, inform Yarkif that I am on my way,” Hux replied, turning his attention back to the records management desk.</p><p>“We have confirmed the access codes, sir,” said the droid, “I’m afraid we must repeat the outcome of our original investigation – records indicate no authorized or unauthorized access to your quarters between the hours indicated”</p><p>“I see,” said Hux tersely.</p><p>“Is there anything else that we may assist you with?”</p><p>“No, that is all,” Hux checked the time, rising to leave. Of course, Ren would cover his tracks, only it displeased him to think that official records were not beyond being tampered with for something as trivial as…as whatever game the Supreme Leader was playing with him. Only it wasn’t trivial, nor was it just a love affair, as inexperience as Hux was in such matters. Love, or even lust, had nothing to do with it Hux told himself, trying to remember if there were ever any such signs from Ren. He could think of none. The man had treated him as a rival, a nuisance, or at best, as a subordinate.</p><p>He hated Kylo for the strange charade which he was playing – interfering with his work, interfering with what was left of his peace of mind.</p><p>Hux walked briskly to the lab, feeling that his time had been unnecessarily wasted by the doddering droids in the records archive. He took a deep breath, this was no time to give into a foul temper – he had to control himself.</p><p>Luckily, there were no delays during his next appointment as he was ushered through to his assigned technician.</p><p>“The material analysis is complete – the outer shell appears to be some kind of beskar alloy,” the man spoke as he walked him over to the vault where his possessions were being kept in safe storage, “it will take a lot to drill through it but if –“</p><p>“That will not be necessary,” Hux interjected, continuing to scan through the charts displayed on the datapad handed to him.</p><p>“This had been my suspicion as well, the second item is likely a key or activation code,” he said, unmasked eagerness in his voice, “of course we wanted to confirm with you, sir, before proceeding to open it. May I ask the origin of this object?”</p><p>“No – that will remain classified, at least for now,” Hux replied.</p><p>“Understood,” he gave a nod, “off the records sir, are there any precautions that you advise we take beyond the standard protocol – is this object from an unknown or potentially hostile source?”</p><p>“Take maximum precaution Yarkif,” Hux answered, displeased by the man’s inquisitiveness. He had hoped for more information on what the box actually contained but even their best sensors were unable to penetrate past the surface to get a clear reading. In truth, he did not know if he was prepared to have it opened ‘on record’ – trusting little in the discretion of humans, or even to the security of droids. He thought again about Ren and his intentions.</p><p>“Yes sir, we will,” the made gave another nod or reassurance, “all facilities for this level of testing have unfortunately been booked until the next morning cycle, but I will book you for the next available slot”</p><p>“What is the project code for these tests taking up the entire lab?”</p><p>“39012938,” he said after a pause, “weapons testing against a newly developed armor coating”</p><p>“Yes, I recall,” smiled Hux, he had authorized its funding.</p><p>“Would you like to leave your items here overnight?”</p><p>“I will take them with me,” said Hux. The other man could not mask his surprise.</p><p>“Are you certain that is advisable, given the – “</p><p>Hux gave him a challenging look which silenced him at once.</p><p>“Is there anything else that we may do for you, general?” he asked, taking back the datapad.</p><p>“No – I expect the results of the prototype testing as soon as they are available, as per usual,” said Hux to conclude their meeting.</p><p>“Yes, general,” he watched Hux leave, disappointed. </p><p>…</p><p>As the night before, Hux found himself alone in his quarters, wondering what to do with Ren’s ‘gift’.</p><p>The day passed by like a blur, he had been inattentive during meetings – too distracted by thoughts of the Supreme Leader, who was notably absent from the ship. A classified mission, Pryde informed him. Hux wondered if the Allegiant General, or anyone else, knew of where Ren had gone – hoping that it was on behalf of the First Order and not on some madman’s errand that the knight had disappeared.</p><p>Hux poured himself a drink, pacing about his room trying to think. A gut feeling told him that he would get no closer to what he wanted to know other than by opening the cube – convinced that it was Ren’s will that the matter be kept private, something which he had partially transgressed against. But only partially.</p><p>He swallowed hard, trying to mentally prepare himself, trying to remind himself that it was not like disabling a bomb. It would not kill him – but then, there were worse things than that.</p><p>With a trembling hand, Hux examined the miniature tablet containing the code, one by one pressing down upon the needles in what he hoped was the correct way to input the sequence.  No, he was sure that it was – as if something beyond himself was guiding his hand. That it was <em>pleased </em>with him.</p><p>He stared at the cube, waiting, as the final metallic rod was in place.</p><p>Nothing.</p><p>Minutes passed, and still— nothing.</p><p>He was about to pick up the cube when suddenly the remaining needles jutting out from the dark silvery surface descended, leaving a smooth flat surface.</p><p>This was it.</p><p>Again Hux held his breath, staggering back a few paces, holding his blaster tightly – perhaps more for emotional than practical reasons, he did not know.</p><p>Hux strained to listen as he heard the faint sound of something clicking, the sides of the box parting on hinges, the metallic material appearing to melt and reshape itself into something like a pedestal.  Upon this pedestal waited a large dark blue stone the size of a fist set in an ornate stand wrought in silver. Upon the gemstone was engrave a crest of a two headed dragon holding an arrow in one claw and a flute in the other, while the legs of the stand – in the shape of three pagan goddesses -- bore the maker’s mark of the renowned inventor: Saulivak.</p><p>Within the center of the stone, something appeared to be moving when one’s eye focused upon it, whether merely visions or actual human-like figures in miniature.</p><p>Each different in its theme and effects, the master’s works were known to take a near obsessive hold upon its elite owner, in some cases causing them to neglect their duties, relations, and even their health, devoting countless hours in the company of the captivating object.</p><p>Each man or woman to possess a genuine Saulivak creation would invariably keep it amongst their finest treasures and never divulging the unique properties of the artifact to others, bound to secrecy as if by the hold of enchantment, or the sacred vows of a fanatic cult, further adding to the aura of mystery and dark allure surrounding the master craftsman.</p><p>It is for this reason that the object had been handled only by droids since its completion, locked within the black box.</p><p>…</p><p>Upon returning to the base, Ren felt the full weight of his decision – the box had been opened.</p><p>The mad scheme of his long-suppressed desires was set into motion.</p><p>So far, there was at least some relief in knowing that he had accomplished the first part of the plan, less certain that it was not at the expense of what remained – finding Hux’s actions and conflicting motives difficult to predict. He would find out soon enough, for enclosed within the box was what looked like a paper card upon which the general would be compelled to write in the midst of his trance-like state-- and to which he would receive a nearly untraceable reply.</p><p>Kylo reflected that although much had been planned and rehearsed, a lot would inevitably fall upon him to react appropriately to the unanticipated, deciding when to take risks and when to be patient.</p><p>While he had taken many liberties during the first meeting, in the next, if it should ever take place, he would focus upon removing some of the other’s suspicions.</p><p>A part of him felt a pang of remorse for what effect it all would have upon the general as a person, to be stricken by betrayal and disillusionment, if it should come to that – for much still remained to be decided, so much remained uncertain – eating away at Ren’s composure.</p><p>He would play his role convincingly, Ren told himself, by trying to feel sincere sympathy and maybe even affection towards Hux, hoping to find the general more agreeable as he stripped off the layers of his cold facade.</p><p>His ultimate goal was to explore the powers of the force, to exert control in a way that was enduring and pervasive – independent of the force-user’s unwavering focus, allowing the force to seek the means to its master’s objectives, flowing through the consciousness of its victim – just as Ren followed the guidance of master Saulivak with but partial understanding of his methods and his motivations, trusting only in the evidence of his power, and the fruits which it promised to yield for the First Order.</p><p>His vision was a perfect union of the technological and the esoteric and Kylo Ren sought its mysteries under Saulivak’s tutelage.</p><p>They had found a suitable subject in Armitage Hux to assist them, willingly or not – not a pureblood, but he would suffice.</p><p>In hindsight Ren realized how uncharacteristically nervous he had felt during his first venture into physical intimacy, and he wondered if it was not only for the sake of his plans but also due to emotions he was not yet prepared to acknowledge. He cursed himself for this weakness – meditating on the means of destroying that which stood in his way.</p><p>That night he could barely sleep, almost wishing that the responsibility had fallen to someone else. But there was no avoiding it, it was too late to turn back – far too late.</p><p>…</p><p>The stone recognized the gaze of a sentient being, stirring the forces contained within – an alloy of active substances such as the altered toxin taken from the glads of Ysalamiri, Ren’s life force, and that which it drew from the depths of the general’s soul – drawing it within its glassy surface and projecting it back in new mesmerizing elements.</p><p>A sense of intense euphoria swept through Hux from the moment he set eyes upon the object, stimulating his senses as if he were breathing in the most beautiful scent, tasting the most exquisite flavor, receiving the caress of profound love upon every inch of his skin, while his eyes filled with visions of awe inspiring beauty.</p><p>His limbs twisting, his eyes watered with tears from a union of pleasures that was so intense that it felt almost painful. He had not the will to resist, breathless, moaning – he felt at once disgusted and in awe of himself, that his body was capable of giving him such release from worldly pain. Hux felt underserving of it – but he could not let it go, stranded in what seemed like a beautiful dream that was engulfing him on all sides, an overpowering essence to which he responded to like the strings of an instrument being played for the first time by a master.</p><p>Yet the melody was all his own, perfectly attuned to the untouched mysteries of Armitage Hux, abstracted and fed back to him. Somewhere, far away, Ren too felt the vibrations of the other’s soul – only but a fragment of the ethereal bliss which the force had bestowed upon him.</p><p>The general did not know how long he had lain curled on the floor, his brow drenched with sweat, his eyes feeling dry and tried as if he had not slept for days.</p><p>He did not remember if he had at last summoned the will to look away or if the influence of the gift had released him of its own accord, but at some point the half-remembered sensations had ceased, a fiery glow at the core of the stone subsidizing, disconnected from what Saulivak would refer to as the owner's soul.</p><p>As he tried to get up, Hux noticed that there was something in his hand. A small crumpled piece of paper.</p><p>He unfurled it carefully and read, straining to understand, to remember. They were<em> his</em> words – his own hideous words, but he could not remember writing them.</p><p>“No,” he breathed, his brow furrowed, a scowl across his lips. He knew what sort of material it was, and to whom the message was transmitted to.  His fist curled tightly over the paper in horror – feeling that he had been cheated – that Ren had not played by the rules.</p><p>In fury Hux took the artifact that the cube had contained and smashed it against the wall of his quarters, but to no avail, startled by the sound it made as much as by his own uncharacteristic fury. He was losing control of himself.</p><p>He picked it up carefully, examining it. Not a scratch appeared visible upon its surface. Hux uttered a scream, a hysterical sleep-deprived scream.</p><p>…</p><p>Kylo sat up suddenly from his bed at the unfamiliar scratching sound that alerted him that a message was being inscribed. He picked up the card from his nightstand and read, struggling to keep his nerve.  The writing looked shaky, like the scrawl of a drunk or dying man:</p><p>
  <em>I need you</em>
</p><p>"Idiot," Ren muttered under his breath as he closed his eyes in something like despair. He had not expected it to be so easy. It was too soon, everything was happening to soon.</p><p>He felt that navigating the seduction of someone like Armitage Hux was something he was not cut out for. In his head he tried to think of how he could possibly reply, discarding one idea after another. All he could hope for was that the gift might put the general in a better mood, perhaps then he might reconsider, or would it frighten him? Kylo himself did not know what the stone would do, trusting in his master. He had barely been able to restrain his curiosity by not opening the cube himself.</p><p>Kylo was absent on the following days, having closed all communication lines to his quarters. Rising early, he was hunched over a desk with the card in hand. Carefully he pulled at its corners, watching as the paper expanded to give him enough space to write.</p><p>"<em>Please instruct me, plainly and unsparingly, as to the changes which I must action in order to make amends for the offense that I have caused. I vow to adhere to your guidance and thereby prove my devotion so that I may be worthy some day to ask for your forgiveness,  which I dare not do now despite my fear and grief at the squandered hopes of a foolish man, who rushes overboldly to his own misfortune. </em></p><p>
  <em>I pray that the gift, unconditionally yours, has brought you happiness. It lives and dies with you, shattering if ever you should cease to be, or else, to long for your own destruction, unable to bear the knowledge of your anguish. This much has been passed on to me from the creator, master Saulivak, the rest of its mysteries are yours to unfold. An allegory of the union of two souls.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Please write to me if ever you are in need, for I am forever bound to you in love and in friendship. "</em>
</p><p>Kylo stamped the paper with the master’s crest, transmitting the message, and for a long silent moment simply stared at the parchment – a thin malleable material which acted as an anachronistic datapad, or so Ren was told.  The master enjoyed theatrics.</p><p>A part of him knew that it might have been best to consult Saulivak before giving the final reply, that his words appeared cloying and forced,  but the headstrong side of him decided that it was his mess to sort out, that he was the one entrusted.</p><p>As he wrote he tried to place himself into the mind of one who loved and admired, perhaps idolized.</p><p>He hoped that Hux would believe his words, which felt strangely real and true as he set them down in his nerve-wrecked  state. Perhaps it was for the best that they would grow closer by correspondence, avoiding the complexity of navigating a meeting in person, Kylo reflected. On the latter his master had been very clear – anxious that Ren should not interfere with the experiment and thereby kill the half-blood Arkansian too soon.</p><p>As he went about his day, feigning interest in status reports, his thoughts were occupied with the card hidden in his tunic. Others too began to observe that the Supreme Leader was even more reserved than usual, morose even.</p><p>Kylo stopped suddenly in the hall as he heard the faint sound of Hux's writing upon the paper. He reached for it but then restrained himself just in time, knowing that a room full of First Order high officials was awaiting him – he needed to keep his composure.</p><p>Reluctantly, Ren walked through the sliding doors and took a seat, speaking little more than the necessary facts describing the outcomes of a recent mission. He was relieved when the meeting came to an end, going directly to his quarters to read Armitage's message. The words left him feeling less optimistic than before as he sat down to make his reply:</p><p>
  <em>"If you are wary of the gift and lack the will to resist its influence, seal it away in the beskar and return it to me. Perhaps I misjudged the strength of your ambition. Your medic is not mistaken, no deeper wounds were made than those which you have long grown use to – exhaustion, frustration, self-doubt, loneliness, yearning, and unsatisfied lust. But there are scars that can never be erased – not alone."</em>
</p><p>Ren watched the ink disappear as the letter was transmitted. He wondered if his impatience to see Hux had seeped into it but he could not help himself.</p><p>He had good reason the fear for the general, as greater men than he had fallen victim to the allure of illusion, men whose lives were full of toil and hardship, neglecting their weaker human nature while pursuing other aims than their own happiness. He wondered if he would be permitted to take back the so-called gift, if Hux truly feared it as much as he seemed to, or if the addiction to simulations of love and sensory pleasure were too powerful.</p><p>Already officers were whispering about the change that had taken place in the general – his haggard appearance, his frequent absences, the disregard with which he treated his duties. With bitter irony, Ren saw that these symptoms greatly resembled his own, only he was not under the influence of the master’s artifact. His fantasies came from his own twisted mind and made him feel even more despicable.</p><p>Kylo waited late into the night but no reply came. Exhaustion overtook him and he awoke to find that the morning cycle had arrived – and still no word from Hux.</p><p>He contacted Pryde, his accomplice tasked with keeping watch over the general and his slow decline. Pryde was able to provide little information other than that Hux had confined himself to his room for several days and was not responding to communications.</p><p>But Pryde was wrong, Hux did leave his room.</p><p>Kylo had felt his presence, only the door of his quarters separating them. Neither one of them dared to open it, to announce himself – afraid of what it might mean. With a mixture of relief and regret, Kylo imagined he heard Hux’s footsteps down the hall, walking away. He wanted to call him a coward, but he himself was no better. He felt his presence lingering there, always close but not close enough.</p><p>Pryde reminded him that he had overslept the scheduled departure time for his flight mission.</p><p>…</p><p>Hux’s comm device buzzed with troubled and annoyed notifications from various quarters.</p><p>He turned it off and went to wash his face in cold water, when he saw himself in the mirror he became acutely aware of the negative effect his newfound obsession with pleasure was having on him. He was constantly thinking of Ren, or what he believed was Ren, at times planning his next step, but most often fantasizing in vague and unproductive ways, like what the Supreme Leader might have done if he had encouraged his advances as the prince behind the silk screen. It seemed that the other’s continued absence infuriated him most of all, unable to comprehend it, nor Ren’s cryptic words transmitted through the ‘parchment’. Then there was the fear that he would one day simply stop replying.</p><p>"This is ridiculous," he muttered to himself as he scrambled to get dressed. One way or another, he needed to stop over-thinking and go back to his usual self. Active duty and even danger were preferred to his debilitating dependence. But he had to be careful, not do anything impulsive. He would focus on work and the countless repairs still left to do. He had to get away from  Ren’s influence before it was too late.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A projection of medical data was displayed before the First Order high command, showing readings of Armitage Hux’s vitals, data continuously transmitted from a microchip implanted while the man had lost consciousness during his last medbay visit.</p><p> “Forgive me but there is nothing more to report,” said Pryde callously, arms crossed over his chest as he sat back in his chair while the others reviewed the projection with a show of scrutiny. Even without seeing the data, which hardly half the room was adept to interpret, they all knew that Hux was a wreck – the general had visibly given up even the pretense of carrying out his duties.</p><p>“It is advisable to act now, Supreme Leader,” spoke Orill, the head medic, his eyes scanning the faces in the room, “the clone is ready and we are uncertain how much longer the test subject’s body will sustain the withdrawal effects if we prolong this stage further”</p><p> “The level of toxin already in the body is cause for concern, I believe we have waited too long as it is,” his colleague added, “just look at the scans, if we –“</p><p>“Thank you Afim,” Orill interjected, “I believe the council understands the implications of the subject’s present condition. As…master Saulivak has explained,” his eyes lingered only momentarily upon the Ugnaught, the only non-human in the room, “the Arkansian’s natural ‘self-destruct’ mechanism is taking its course”</p><p>“Then we shall proceed,” spoke Ren.</p><p>Murmurs reverberated across the table. Only Saulivak’s face remained inscrutable as he looked somberly at the projection.</p><p>“It is a mistake, to use a clone,” Ugnaught spoke over the others, causing a momentary hush. “The <em>original </em>must attend to the subject’s recovery”</p><p>Ren scowled behind his mask, it could not help but disgust him to be referred to as a component in a military experiment – just as dehumanizing as it was to hear general Hux be blithely spoken of as ‘the subject’ by men who had once been his equals – if not his inferiors. Yet relief was the predominant emotion which the master’s words stirred, a relief which he was unprepared to interpret in the midst of the council.</p><p>“Then what good would the results of the experiment be! The entire purpose is to do this at scale,” general Sariuat protested, “we cannot expect the Supreme Leader to <em>personally </em>form the bond with each and every one of these Arkansian clones”</p><p>“Yes, quite ridiculous,” chuckled a gray-haired man, taking a drink from his mug and wiping the caff from his whiskers. It was amusing to imagine the Supreme Leader making visits to soothe and manipulate duplicates of Armitage Hux, made receptive by what he imagined to be something like a spice daze. From its very inception, the scheme had seemed to him thoroughly mad, and yet, there was an undeniable interest in developing clone soldiers and officers whose loyalty to their leader was absolute, unwavering – imbedded into them far more reliably than the most rigorous training program –rendering them incapable of betrayal without sacrificing their own existence.</p><p>“Agreed,” spoke another voice at the table, “we will test the device first, the Heartkey as you have called it, and use ‘nurse’ clones for the second phase of the conditioning”</p><p>Some had likened the process of the Arkansian love bond to the folklore of soulmates, to limerence or to that of a child bonding with its mother at birth – making the object of their dependent attachment a kind of surrogate nurse, healing them from the pain of abandonment. This was what made Armitage an excellent subject, so the medic explained to the room, being a specimen that had reached adulthood without having experienced even parental attachment to a significant degree – making him all the more malleable, his loyalty all the more desperate – one who would give his life if the Supreme Leader should command it, at least once the process was completed.</p><p>“That is not what we had forecasted, we need to be certain that a clone of the Supreme Leader will be an acceptable substitute for these creatures,” one of the generals interceded, “again, it goes back to scalability; if it takes nearly two months for the Heartkey to render the subject sufficiently receptive to boding, and then another month for conditioning and recovery – it is obvious that the Supreme Leader can hardly be expected to waste that much time on individual specimens. It would take far too long to have even a few dozen for the engineering division –“</p><p>“If I may speak openly, Supreme Leader,” said another voice, a woman with a queasy smile, “a…nurturing disposition is not one of your chief traits of character. Perhaps a clone specially designed with a…a caring and affectionate bedside manner may be better suited for this purpose. Correct me if I am mistaken doctor Orill, but is that not what these Arkansian clones would require – to be reassured that their feelings of attachment are reciprocated?”</p><p>“To stop the destructive chemicals leading to their internal decay—”</p><p>“I must wonder at what kind of soldiers these touch-starved Arkansians would be,” Pryde interrupted, “I remember all too well the weak sniveling boy that Hux had been. With all due respect Supreme Leader, it surprises me that you should wish for such men to serve you. Certainly, they may be loyal – to the point of obsession, but are they capable? It would not suit – ”</p><p>“Capable, Allegiant General?” spoke Kylo Ren as a heavy tension filled the room. “I believe that Hux has proven himself to be more than capable throughout the years that he has served the First Order”</p><p>“Indeed, I meant merely that we would do well to continue in search of additional specimens that may serve us in this initiative," the Pryde smiled falsely, yet behind his cold façade he felt disconcerted. While unable to see the Supreme Leader’s face, it was clear to him that he had overstepped his bounds, and it surprised him moreover to hear the disgraced general defended so brazenly – more than he deserved.</p><p>The Allegiant General  wondered in the back of his mind if Ren actually cared for the pathetic man, whether naturally or by the effects of the esoteric forces he was playing with under the instruction of the Ugnaught – another volatile element, another unknown. Despite the master’s stoic exterior there was something about him which elicited the distrust and antipathy of the First Order high command, so much is expected as they sensed the influence he wielded over the Supreme Leader.</p><p>“I agree with master Saulivak,” said the head medic, “we cannot afford to lose the Arkansian. It may be a long hunt across the galaxy to find another of his race. Our agents have reported little success so far, scouring the slave markets, tracing worthless leads – it is better to correct this planning error late than not at all. The Supreme Leader, if willing, should attend to the recovery and conditioning phase”</p><p>“Are you willing, Supreme Leader Ren?” asked Saulivak, turning to the man.</p><p>“Yes, master”</p><p>“Certainly, it was too risky to combine the two projects into one – I believe I see the wisdom of your methods and look forward to the following status report,” spoke one of the men who had previously argued against the change, followed by other feeble sycophantic murmurs of assent.</p><p>“Then it is decided,” the Ugnaught bowed his head in acknowledgement and got up from his chair, followed by the Supreme Leader and the rest of the high command – concluding the meeting.    </p><p>Several lingered in the hall, whispering, before disappearing down the corridor.</p><p>…</p><p>The door of Hux’s quarters opened, for a moment shedding light upon the otherwise dim chamber. A thin figure lay curled upon the bed, its back to the wall, its arms wrapped loosely around a spherical object which it clutched to its chest amid a tangle of blanket. The general was still dressed in his uniform, as if he had been about to go out, but in the last moment found that he could not. The man seemed not to notice the approach of footsteps slowly moving towards him, casting a shadow over him as a figure paused to stand at his bedside.</p><p>By the light of a small lamp, Ren saw the sickly pallor of Hux’s  skin, the dark circles beneath his cadaverous eyes, his gaunt arms and cheekbones – everything about him conveyed the image of decay, rendering the general nearly unrecognizable in comparison to the person he once was.</p><p>Slowly, hesitating, Ren reached out and pressed a hand to the other’s neck, feeling the faint pulse to assure himself that he was still alive. Hux’s chest moved faintly with his breathing, becoming labored as the general’s eyes opened a sliver. It was then that Ren observed the pale hue of his lashes and the look of pain in his gaze.</p><p>It was too much for Hux to endure – to see him there, to feel his presence. So close, so close that he could almost touch him.</p><p>Hux’s arms felt heavy and weak, a kind of nausea which he had no words for. His stomach ached from hunger, his head throbbing with something like a migraine, only it would not cease – not for days. Only the device offered him temporary relief, or so his compulsion led him to believe, for when he focused upon it other sensations superseded the pain, numbing everything but the feeling that Kylo Ren’s spirit was near him, lulling him slowly into a deep dreamless sleep. An affectionate trance which reality could never supply.</p><p>The eyes closed again and Ren noticed the blood and spittle which dripped from the corner of Hux’s mouth, his usually clean-shaven face overgrown with a ragged beard, his hair oily with sweat. Everything about him ought to have disgusted Ren, but it was with himself that he felt most disgusted. He induced himself not to recoil from this image of his own cruelty, the creature which he used as the means to an end – as the means of control.</p><p>For master Saulivak it had always been about control.</p><p>Attachment and desire, in all of its forms, these are the things that allow the strong to hold power over the weak.</p><p>Relinquish all attachments.</p><p>Relinquish all desires.</p><p>Only then will you be strong.</p><p>Only then will you be free of pain.</p><p>Only then will you be one with the Force.</p><p>These were the mantras which his master had him repeat during their mediations, the foundation upon which all of his creations were based.</p><p>Master Saulivak doubted Ren’s ability to restrain his emotions, his humanity, warning him of the dangers it would pose to their plans.</p><p>Yet as he looked at Hux, he wondered if this was true – if he did what was expected of him in earnest, rather than merely as an act, would it not increase the chances that the Arkansian would live – live in devotion to him, to the Order, and allow for the development of a new breed of soldiers. This had been Hux’s calling since his youth, to bring up armies for the Order which would be loyal, worthy of the trust of the Supreme Leader.</p><p>Ren did not notice himself holding his breath as he took the object which Hux clung to, expecting him to resist, but the general made no movement.</p><p>He held it before his eyes, the metal cold in his ungloved hands, channeling the force.</p><p>A warmth seemed to gradually build within the core of the stone, a series of chain reactions taking place as one of the elements within its kaleidoscopic center was beginning to move, draw itself away. It was like a single organism being ripped in two, struggling against itself, afraid to let go.</p><p>It had to. It must – having no choice but to obey the strength of the Supreme Leader’s mind.</p><p>Ren focused his will upon separating the intertwined components of his own life force and that of Hux, concentrating it into two opposing centers of energy.</p><p>A burning heat caused the walls of the stone to crack, unable to sustain the pressure of the elements within, fighting to find balance, to resist the external influence of the Supreme Leader’s efforts to return strength back into Hux’s body – to free him from the contraption of Saulivak’s making.</p><p>The stone cracked but did not shatter as Ren had expected, feeling the tension in his limbs subside. He breathed in deeply, a strange pain in his chest, and then turned to Hux.</p><p>The other’s eyes were wide open – staring at him.</p><p>“R-Ren,” he said hoarsely. Kylo could see the blood between his teeth, his lips dry and cracked.</p><p>Hux strained to lift his hand again, trembling. His fingers curled around the fabric of Kylo’s robe, the closest thing he could reach. Kylo put his hand upon the other’s and their fingers intertwined. He could feel the desperation with which Hux tried to hold onto him, continuing to stare in a way that made his stomach lurch – associations of death and sickness intervolve themselves with another feeling that Ren could not define. He wanted to show Hux mercy, to clean him of the hideous marks of the evil that had been done to him.</p><p>The knight listened to the urge that took hold of him to wash away the signs – like the evidence of a crime.</p><p>It was what Hux would want.  </p><p>A strange animalistic sound passed through Hux’s lips as he withdrew his hand, like the cry of pain of some wounded creature caught in a trap.</p><p>“I will come back,” said Ren, his voice seeming unpleasantly harsh as it left his lips. </p><p> With heavy footsteps he went to the refresher and filled up a basin with warm water, taking a washcloth and bringing them to the bed from where Hux continued to watch him with malevolence and yearning.</p><p>Ren noticed that Saulivak’s device was again in his arms, clutched against his chest – a shot of anger passing through him. He wanted to tear it away, but did not, instead lowering himself to sit on the side of the bed and soaking the cloth in the warm water.</p><p>Hux shivered as Ren’s hand held his face while washing the sweat from his brow, soaking the grime from his eyes with an unfamiliar gentleness. Kylo thought that he heard something between a moan and a growl, whether in half-suppressed anger or pleasure, he could not tell.  The general’s other hand wrapped around his aching stomach, a new kind of pain moving through him.</p><p>Observing this, Ren laid the washcloth over Hux’s eyes and passed his hand over the other’s torso, gliding over the man’s cold skin, feeling the ribs which showed the signs that the general had long neglected himself. Hux leaned into the pressure of his hand, making a whimpering moan as Ren massaged his side, rubbed his shoulder, stroked his hair in a methodical effort to rouse him to life – distracting him enough to take away the broken device from which his fingers slowly released, replaced by Kylo’s own hand. Ren rubbed his palm soothingly, watching as Hux underwent sharp writhing tremors like an epileptic fit.</p><p>It pained him more than he had imagined, to see Hux like this, feeling helpless as he remained by his side.</p><p>When at last the seizure subsided, he removed Hux’s uniform and carried him to the bath, holding up his head, running his fingers through the man’s hair as he lathered it with soap. Seeing Hux without his clothes, it startled him to behold how sickly the general had become, how far he had gone in breaking the other’s will. Ren reached into a strap within his boot and removed a knife, guiding its razor sharp blade along the contours of Hux’s face, while a droid dried and cut his hair in the customary way – trying by these trivial means to return him to some semblance of his former condition.</p><p>Wrapping Hux in a clean blanket, Ren carried him back to his own quarters. A sense of pain choked him, holding Armitage in his arms – mute and submissive beyond recognition.</p><p>“Will you eat?” said Ren, disturbed by his silence, uncomfortable with being alone with the strange being that was once general Hux.</p><p>No reply came, nor could he read the other’s expression – vacant and almost sorrowful, Ren was not certain that he was even aware of his surroundings.</p><p>“I said, will you eat?” Ren repeated, this time his voice was more stern, his fear coming through as anger and impatience. </p><p>“Yes,” the reply startled him, an unexpected lucidity in Hux’s voice.</p><p>Kylo set him down upon the bed, his back leaning against the headboard.</p><p>“Wait here,” Ren arranged the pillows distractedly, trying to think of what to do – realizing then how nervous it made him feel to think that Hux was perhaps analyzing him.</p><p>“How attentive you are,” said the general, perceiving his discomfort, “I see that the council had decided to use a clone after all”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Ren could not hide his surprise.</p><p>
  <em>He knew.</em>
</p><p>“Let us not pretend,” said Hux, “do you think that I would not seek out your intentions, while I still had my sanity? What I am <em>now </em>however, that is a different matter”</p><p>“What are you now?” Ren saw a viciousness in the other’s expression that reminded him of the past, but not in the way that he had hoped.</p><p>“What you made me – pathetic,” he smirked, finding the confession cathartic. “I will die, you know that don’t you? This plan of yours, or rather, of Saulivak – wherever did you find him, many have searched after his illustrious workshop and –“</p><p>“You won’t die, not unless I decide it,” Ren did not wish to hear.</p><p>“Do not deceive yourself ‘Supreme Leader’, sunk costs are sunk costs,” said Hux, enjoying the anger which he provoked.  “I would rather perish than grovel”</p><p> “You have groveled for your life before,” Ren could not keep himself from saying.</p><p>“Yes,” said Hux languidly, “but we both knew my motives”</p><p>“You fear the genuine – that you should care for me sincerely”</p><p>“That is impossible,” Hux answered after a pause.</p><p>Because I disgust you, or because I never gave you the chance? thought the knight darkly.</p><p>Ren wanted to silence him, to protest – but everything which he thought to say he knew would be twisted against him. Hux hated him, loathed him; he had made him vulnerable and dependent, and worst of all, he wanted to force him to live on in such a way. No – that he could not endure.</p><p>At the same time, Ren felt a strange relief in the other’s efforts to push him away, that there was still a form of pride or strength left in Hux with which he struggled to resist the urges of a love which he knew was despicable, rejecting the balm that was offered. After the pain and degradation which he had long labored under, Hux did not trust Kylo Ren, believing that succumbing to insincere acts of kindness and affection would add further to his humiliation, without preventing his inescapable demise.</p><p>Hux felt as Ren probed his mind, reading the sharp aversion that intermingled with an unnatural passion.</p><p>“You have forgotten the promise which I have made to you,” Kylo said at last.</p><p>“What promise?” Hux knew full well.</p><p>Kylo took Hux’s hand, which the other man withdrew.</p><p>“I will not let you die”</p><p>“Do not insult my intelligence – there is no affection between us, there is not even goodwill. I am here because I have no choice – is that clear to you Ren?” said Hux sharply.</p><p>Ren was about to brush a stray lock of hair from the other's brow, at which Hux’s body grew tense, as if preparing himself for an attack.</p><p>“May I sleep beside you tonight?” said Kylo, his voice unusually soft, almost frightened.</p><p>“That is unnecessary,” spoke Hux before other emotions had a chance to shake his resolve.</p><p>“I disagree,” Kylo replied. Again he tried to reach out and take Hux’s hand. This time the man permitted it, although when he looked into the other’s eyes he saw that he was enduring it, rather than welcoming the contact.</p><p>“Please, do not fight it – you must accept the –“</p><p>“Oh Ren, you can compel me to desire you, against my will, but you cannot force me to act upon this distortion of love,” said Hux, his own words giving him comfort.</p><p>“It is strange to hear you speak of love,” Kylo observed, stroking the man’s hand, finding their circumstances surreal like a dream.</p><p>“Because I know nothing of such matters?” he scoffed.</p><p>“I believe neither one of us does,” looking thoughtfully at Hux.</p><p>These words affected Hux in some way, and Ren interpreted them as an opportunity -- he pulled him into his arms suddenly, startling the other man, but his attempts to fight back were feeble or else half-hearted.</p><p>“May I?” Kylo buried his face in the crook of Hux’s neck as he rubbed the other’s back.</p><p>While the knight was unable to see his face, Hux allowed himself a lapse, breathing in deeply as he let the warmth of another body against his take its toll on his self-restraint, a pleasant sensation permeating through him, sending a shiver down his spine.</p><p>“I can sense how this makes you feel,” said Ren in barely a whisper.</p><p>“I wish that you would not,” Hux’s voice was cold but it had lost some of the former strength which he had felt in it.</p><p>“You are tired, please …rest in my arms tonight,” Kylo ran his fingers gently through Hux’s hair, feeling the change in the other’s breathing.</p><p>“I want to listen to your heartbeat, to your breathing while you sleep, your body healing, your heart healing,” Kylo continued, for the general said nothing, allowing himself to be lowered onto the bed.</p><p>“Don’t do this Ren,” Hux pleaded as Kylo looked down at him, observing the contrast of seeing his clean body against the white sheets compared to the state in which he had found him.</p><p>“You will recover,” said Ren, as if stating a fact.</p><p>“Do not pretend that you care for me – it is not enough, it will only postpone –”</p><p>“I know,” said Ren, taking off his cloak and working away the clasps of his tunic.</p><p>“We are not sharing a bed,” Hux pulled the blanket closer to his body. For a moment he felt afraid that Ren would force himself on him.</p><p>“It is necessary that I offer you companionship, nothing more,” the knight seemed to have read his thoughts, flashing him a look of scorn.</p><p>“Your ‘companionship’ is repulsive to me,” the general retorted, “but I suppose that makes no difference”</p><p>“Then my warmth, will you accept that?” asked Ren. “Here, take this,” he offered Hux the blade which he had used to shave his face.</p><p>“Why are you giving it to me?” Hux looked at it with suspicion before taking the handle.</p><p>“It will help you sleep,” Ren smiled forcibly. “Place it beneath your pillow”</p><p>Hux’s lip twitched as he struggled to respond – feeling a thinly veiled insult in the act.</p><p>“You think that I am paranoid of you –“</p><p>“Of everyone,” said Ren.</p><p>“With reason. Look at the company I keep!” he clutched the handle of the dagger tightly.</p><p>“We all have our secrets, just as you do. You, too, may open wounds in me”  </p><p>“Not fatal ones,” said Hux. With effort, he set down the blade, not wanting Ren to see a reaction out of him.</p><p>“Do not make yourself pitiful. I do not wish to pity you,” Ren answered, tired of the other’s allusions to his own death.</p><p>“I do not doubt it,” drawled Hux.</p><p>It felt so strange to Ren, to be acutely aware of the other’s loneliness and need, while hearing his biting words, sharp as daggers. There was no softness in his manner, no sign of hope to be read in his expression.  Kylo would never have dared to so much as imagine that Hux felt anything but hatred towards him, if it were not for the force which told him otherwise.</p><p>Inexperienced in the ways of courtship, he did not know how to break down Hux’s defenses.</p><p>“Why do you stare at me? Just say it – whatever it is that you are thinking,” snapped Hux, feeling nervous under the other’s scrutiny.</p><p>“You had told me that you would eat, I will call for food to be brought,” said Ren, his answer catching the other by surprise.</p><p>“It is late now – I have no appetite for…for anything,” muttered Hux, knowing that his starved stomach would not be up to digesting a regular meal.</p><p>“We will try,” Ren insisted. He entered some codes into the datapad on his nightstand to summon a droid.</p><p>The general sighed heavily as they waited in silence, neither of them knowing how to interact with each other outside of the context of their duties. Hux noticed for the first time the effect that Kylo’s presence had upon him, he could not quite describe himself as being relaxed, and yet, it was as if a certain weight had been lifted from his shoulders now that he was near to the person to whom his body was bonded to. At the same time, desires and urges welled within him which he was glad to have suppressed by the tired and sickly state in which he found himself.</p><p>“I will remain by your side,” Ren said suddenly, looking at him with a serious expression.</p><p>“So you have told me, and received my answer”</p><p>Their conversation was interrupted by the droid’s arrival, bringing with it a tray on which stood a canister of liquefied food.</p><p>Kylo passed it to Hux, who sat up a bit to drink, finding it hard to swallow. Ren rubbed his back as he coughed, wiping his mouth. The general felt embarrassed but accepted these ministrations, feeling weary, a part of him longing to lean against Kylo, sink into his arms and forget what was left of dignity.</p><p>“We both know that you need this, what will it take for you to stop fighting against my assistance?” said Kylo. A part of him felt exasperated, wanting reassurance from Hux himself, afraid that the other man would do something foolish out of spite or revenge once he recovered more of his strength to think clearly – in his most lucid moments he felt how strongly the general wanted to punish him, while every fiber of his being seemed to pull him towards grasping at the rare kindness that he was experiencing.</p><p>“<em>For you to strangle me”</em> were the words that he was about to speak, refraining at the last moment.</p><p>“F-fine...tonight, just for tonight -- I know it is no use to ask you to leave, you shall not listen...and you have destroyed the only source of solace that I had,” said Hux reluctantly, nervous but at the same time believing that would allow both of them to have what they wanted, without losing face too much.</p><p>“For as long as you have need of me,” Kylo insisted.</p><p>“Enough of these sickly sweet words Ren, they do not suit you,” Hux tried to make himself comfortable in the bed.</p><p>“Move then,” the knight smiled lightly, a bit of hope welling in his chest.</p><p>Hux was about to protest but in the end he kept quiet, waiting tensely as Ren lowered himself onto the bed, joining him beneath the covers.</p><p>With a motion of his hand he turned off the lights.</p><p>He felt inside Hux’s worn out mind, searching for some clue as to what to do, and finding the man engaged in delirious brooding – how to escape, how to resist, where he might run to if only he might somehow find the means to preserve himself from Ren.</p><p>“What will – “</p><p>“Be silent,” he told him, his voice stern but not unkind. “Rest now, in the morning you may insult me”</p><p>He slid his arm around Hux and pulled him closer against his chest.</p><p>“Just be quiet,” Ren repeated, his voice whispering in the other’s ear, running his fingers through Hux’s hair in what he hoped was a soothing way, “close your eyes, nothing will hurt you. Sleep…sleep Armitage”</p><p>Kylo used the force to comfort the other’s thoughts alongside his words, murmuring softly like a lullaby.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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